I know I'm not the only one who drinks this stuff, because several of you have made some positive comments about it in past posts.

The last three bottles of Cline Vin Rouge 2000 that I've opened have suffered from secondary fermentation. The wine shop has given me credit for them with no questions asked.

They were not all purchased at the same time, but I am certain that they have come from the same "lot". This is because there is only one distributor in this area for this wine: The Country Vintner in Richmond, VA. They recieve the wine from a regional distributor in Atlanta, GA name of Vin South.

I sent the Cline's an e-mail and received a gracious reply saying that they would look into the problem.

My understanding is that secondary fermentation is a winemaker problem and is not normally associated with bottle storage or shipment. Correct me, if I am wrong, please.

When I first poured the wine I suspected a problem, as there was more foam on the surface than aeration from pouring would normally cause. After the foam settled there was still evidence of fiz coming to the surface of the wine in the glass. Of course, the final test was in the tasting. And there was no doubt that I was drinking CLINE lambrusco instead of Vin Rouge.

WW do you really drop those phiz phiz pills in your wine to prevent hangovers? Naw, I can't believe that. Not for a second. 'Sides that is why I thought you took them 'batticles!!

When in doubt on this stick your EAR in the glass....any hint of snap, crackle, pop and you've got a problem in a "still" red wine. This is the FIRST thing we do when folks bring back a bottle. We sell a LOT of handmade, unfiltered, bottled from the barrel sort of stuff and it happens in anywhere from 1-3% of some really FAMOUS and $$$ wines let alone a rustic Primitivo or Chateauneuf....

As we are always reminding people, these are agricultural products, not bicycle parts.

Well the folks at Cline are a receptive lot and are most willing to talk to thier consumers! Here is the reply I got from their winemaker:

Dear Mr. Dutton,
What you are experiencing with 2000 Oakley Vin Rouge is high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) not secondary fermentation in the bottle. After extensive yeast and bacteria plating tests in the lab the results proved
this wine is safe from secondary fermentation. The dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) is about three times the normal level of a bottled red wine and originated from primary fermentation.

Carbon Dioxide plays an important role in the fermentation of all wines: Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + Carbon Dioxide (CO2). CO2 is used throughout the wine making process to displace oxygen from contact with crushed grapes or wine. In most still wines this carbon dioxide is encouraged to dissipate leaving only small traces in the finished wine. We bottle very naturally which means no or minimal filtration or manipulations of our wines and in the case of the 2000 Oakley Vin Rouge the level of CO2 were higher. At warmer room temperatures (70 degrees and higher) this vintage can release its CO2 and thus seem to be effervescent. Cooler storage temperatures and even decanting of the wine will dislodge most of the extra bubbles.

Infact, as the carbon dioxide escapes from the wine, it carries many esters and the wine's fruitiness and freshness increases.

In some wine producing regions of the world this process is deliberate. However, that was not our intention for the 2000 Oakley Vin Rouge. That being said, future bottlings of any of our wines will be tested for the CO2 levels prior to bottling. We will have to wait for CO2 levels to decrease or gently rack the wine prior to bottling to dislodge any extra CO2.

I hope this clarifies your questions.

Cheers,
Matt Cline
Winemaker

Now how about that!!!! And I only bitched about three bottles.................

Quite an impressive response, and from the winemaker himself, no less. Makes me a bigger fan of Cline.

As for my own experience with secondary fermentation/CO2--looking back over my records, I've noted this with 1.8% of the bottles I've opened in the past year (3 out of 167), but can remember perhaps 1 or 2 more. Each one has been a new wine that I've experimented with, and when this occurred, I simply dumped the rest and didn't buy the label again.

MisserDDDD, Cline is a "class" act, from tip to top and all stops in between. I'd expect this from a botique shop like Dehlinger, Grace, Scherrer, Cakebread, etc. but when you're the size of a Cline it's very impressive they took the time to satisfy a query from an individual, ( 'specially one named MisserD from Virginia ) WW

I have not had any of their more recent bottlings of Vin Rouge, so I can't say whether or not the 'problem' persists. When I contacted them about this, they did say that their winemaker was going to take steps to keep that fizzy stuff from happening again.

Lately the only Cline I've been drinking has been their Zin. It is pretty darn good!

Their Web Site features the 2001 Cline Vin Rouge, but I've not sampled it. They say it should cellar for two to four years, so it should still be good to go should I find any.

We popped an '00 tonight with some trepidation. We have had it for 6 mos to a year ($7). It had some small bubbles under the cork. Decanted it and after 15 minutes put my ear to the decanter. Sure enough, there was Roberto's snap, crackle, and pop. It only tasted fair. Since it was a evening of leftovers, no big deal. Since I have seen good reviews of the '01, will probably try it again.